The following apology was printed in the Observer's For the record column, Sunday 14 February 2010

The item below was wrong to report that there were more than 30,000 hospital admissions of those suffering from anaphylaxis (an allergic reaction to eggs, nuts, fish, etc) in the past year. There were just over 3,500. Apologies.

The number of people at risk from severe and fatal allergic reactions has increased sharply every year for the past 15 years, according to new NHS figures. The number of adults developing potentially lethal new allergies for the first time has also accelerated dramatically.

The figures reveal an unprecedented year-on-year increase in the number of prescriptions issued to those at risk of the most serious allergic reaction, known as anaphylactic shock. The most common triggers are allergies to eggs, nuts, fish, dairy products, fruit and vegetables, and latex. Potentially fatal reactions to insect stings are also increasingly common, as are dramatically adverse reactions to drugs and medication.

New research obtained by the Observer from the NHS Information Centre reveals the number of emergency adrenaline injectors issued by doctors to combat severe allergies rose by 112% in 2008. The tables show that a record 211,040 injectors were issued, compared with 101,032 in 2003 and just 25,320 in 1995 – a rise of more than 700% in 13 years.

But although the number of prescriptions has accelerated to a record high, there has also been an increase of more than a quarter in the number of emergency hospital admissions of people suffering anaphylactic shock.

Experts say that a large proportion of these admissions involving "new onset" patients, who are experiencing a severe reaction to a food, medication or drug with which they have never previously had a problem, or never come into contact before.

Pam Ewan, a consultant allergist at Addenbrooke's hospital in ­Cambridge, and a member of the National Allergy Strategy Group, said: "The rise in numbers is to do with a raised general awareness of allergies, but we are, as a population, becoming more allergic overall.

"What I have very certainly seen over the past three to five years is an increase in the number of older adults developing allergies for the first time," she added. "Allergies usually start in childhood and young adulthood, so this is a very surprising new trend and very hard to explain. It is so new, however, and there are so few allergists in the UK, that we have not yet even started collecting data, much less analysing it.

"It could be to do with changes in our environment, a change in allergen exposure, pollution or diet. The only thing we know is that it is clearly related to modern, western ways of living."

Ewan said adults who develop allergies for the first time are more likely to suffer extreme reactions if their sensitivity is to eggs, milk or nuts, ­particularly hazelnuts. Bee and wasp stings are also likely to catalyse a severe reaction. "Adults also seem more likely than ­children to develop allergies to fruit and vegetables," she added.

Tina Dixon, a consultant allergist at the Royal Liverpool and ­Broadgreen University hospital, said: "Older adults coming to my clinic suffering late ­sensitisation to fruit and vegetables were a rarity in the 1980s."

Dixon believes adults could develop severe allergies if they have unusual exposure to something. "The evidence suggests that if you absorb something in an unnatural way, you could develop an allergy after years of exposure," she said. "So, for example, I treat a chef for late onset egg allergies because, I think, he has spent years absorbing egg through his skin and breathing it in through his nose, as he cooks with it."

In the past year alone, there were more than 30,000 admissions to hospital of those suffering anaphylaxis. Medications for allergies cost almost £1bn annually, 11% of the total NHS drug budget.

In the past seven years, there has been a fourfold increase in all allergies, according to the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology (BSACI), the national allergy body.

Moira Austin, helpline manager at Anaphylaxis Campaign, said she has noted an increase in the number of women seeking help for allergies. "It tends to be women who become allergic around the time of the menopause or after a stay in hospital. It comes on suddenly and involves foods they have eaten happily for their entire life," she said.